Bloodstockauction.com, Australia and New Zealand’s first online thoroughbred auction site, is set to chalk up another first this week, hosting the Capricornia Yearling Sale online on behalf of the Rockhampton Jockey Club.
This is the first time that an online auction provider has hosted a dedicated yearling sale on behalf of another organisation.
In the wake of recent live auction cancellations due to COVID-19, Rockhampton Jockey Club President Mr Tony Fenlon and his board of directors refused to give up on their annual sale... going in search of a way to keep the sale alive for their vendors, buyers and for the central Queensland racing community.
And the solution was to run their annual sale online.
"Bloodstockauction.com have been terrific to work with, and now that the transition is all but complete, we are actually pretty excited that the Rockhampton Jockey Club and our vendors will be part of this world first. Who knows, it may well prove to be the way of the future."
This is definitely a sentiment shared by the Director of Bloodstockauction.com, Mr Anthony Gafa.
“The hosting of an online yearling sale is something that no one in the industry would have considered possible five years ago. However, with the growth and development of online auction platforms over the last two or three years, I see this sale as merely the next phase in online auction services.”
With the uncertainty generated by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is hardly surprising that Bloodstockauction.com is now being approached by a number of stud farms to find out how they can run their own, exclusive online auctions.
“This exclusive type of service is actually something that we considered offering a few years back, but we decided to park the concept at that time," Mr Gafa said.
"We are already prepared and capable of delivering dedicated auctions for clients and we are fortunate to have a great team and systems in place to pull them together quickly if required."
It is certainly an exciting time for Bloodstockauction.com, the Rockhampton Jockey Club and all the vendors from the Capricornia Region and beyond... to be part of a world first.
The Capricornia Yearling Sale will be live and be open for bidding:
9:00am AEST on Wednesday 8th April 2020
The Final Countdown will commence at:
7:00pm AEST on Tuesday 14th April 2020
This provides all buyers with plenty of time to view the catalogue, arrange inspections, shortlist their lots, and place their bids.
During the Final Countdown, each lot will then enter the ‘Virtual Sales Ring’ in numerical lot order, at one minute intervals.
Contact Bloodstockauction.com on 1300 849 349 to enquire about our finance and insurance options.
If you wish to participate in the auction, and bid and purchase Lots, make sure you visit www.bloodstockauction.com and sign up to become a member, it’s free to join.